More than 500 Illinois workers warned of layoffs in December

January 10, 2014|Tribune staff report

Daniel Ojeda, the recruitment manager for the Illinois Department of Human Services, instructs Dolton resident Qiana Mosely on applying for a job during the Thornton Township Community Job Fair at South Suburban College in South Holland last month. (Tribune photo by David Pierini)

Illinois employers warned more than 500 workers in December that they would lose their jobs in the coming weeks and months, according to a filing with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Group O in Aurora, a business process outsourcing provider, said it will layoff 143 workers between February and March because of a lost contract. The company said in a recent release it had about 1,500 workers.

Philips Consumer Lifestyle in Roselle, an electric light manufacturer, said it plans to lay off 102 workers between May and June, citing a closing of the facility and relocation of the work.

HomeDirect, a furniture moving company in Hinsdale, said it expects to layoff 82 workers begining in January. Sterling Infosystems, a Chicago-based investigation services company, said expects to cut 72 workers between February and May due to a recent acquisition.

Also, North Aurora's Deco Inc., Esmark Steel Services Group Inc. in Chicago Heights and East Alton-based Olin Corp. raised the number of employees they intended to layoff from an earlier WARN notice.

Employers with more than 100 employees are required to give 60 days notice of possible layoffs under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining (WARN) Act when a third of the workforce or more than 500 workers could be affected. Reports on planned layoffs are released monthly by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.